Baker Perkins opens sales office in South America

Confectionery and bakery technology supplier Baker Perkins has opened its first sales office in South America in order to tap into potential in the market and to be closer to its customers

The company has appointed ex-South American sales manager Heiko Willerts to manage the office based in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Baker Perkins said the office will support new and existing customers across South America in the confectionery, snack and cereal sectors. Local agents and direct sales support from Peterborough, UK were previously used to serve the South American market.

More confectionery and snacks plants

Keith Graham, marketing manager at Baker Perkins told ConfectioneryNews.com: “Baker Perkins has been successful in the Latin American market since the 1950s, particularly in the biscuit industry and more recently an increasing number of confectionery, cereal and snack plants have been installed.”

“The confectionery, cereal, snack and biscuit sectors are all growing, at different rates in different countries, and we see potential in all these sectors and all South American countries,” he continued.

According to Graham, Baker Perkins ServoForm depositing systems for confectionery, SBX twin-screw extruders and Co-Ex Master co-extrusion systems for cereal and snack applications are the company’s best-selling technologies in the South American market.

South American market

Many leading food companies have spotted potential in South America, and particularly in Brazil.

Last year, Kraft Foods leveraged the growing trend for chocolate and biscuits by opening a new $80m production facility in Brazil, the first part of its phased-in $200m investment in the market over two years.

The facility Pernambuco produces Bis and Lacta brand chocolates and Club Social brand biscuits.

The Brazilian market forms part of the compendium of developing markets, the BRIC countries, which analysts are touting as future hotspots for confectionery sales growth.

The chocolate market in Brazil, for examples is projected to grow 22% from 2012 to 2014 to $7.7bn, according to forecasts from market analysts at Euromonitor International.

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